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- s. 1). KEENE. I MACHINE FOR OPENING AND CLEANING SPINNERS STAPLE. No.244,394.. Patented July 19,1881.-

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NlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL 1). KEENE, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THEPROVIDENCE EXTRAOTOR COMPANY, or SOUTHBRIDGE, MASS.

MACHlNE FOR OPENING AND CLEANING SPINNERS STAPLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 244,394, dated July 19,1881.

Application filed April 30, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL D. KEENE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State 5 of RhodeIsland, have invented an Improvement in Machines for Opening andCleaning Spinners Staples, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the construction and arrangement of a separatorto be used in connection with an ordinary machine for opening andcleaning spinners staples, particularly wool, silk, cotton, or flaxfiber; and it consists in combining, with a separator havingindependently-pivoted bars of a peculiar construction, means foradjusting the same both vertically and laterally, as well as the barsthereof upon their axes, as more fully hereinafter described. 1

Figure l is a vertical section of my machine, and Fig. 2 is a diagram toillustrate the action of air-currents in my improved device. 7 In thedrawings, Fig. 1, A and B represent feed-rolls, G the feeding table orapron, and D D the arms of the beater. The abovementioned parts,viz.,the feeding table or apron O, feeding-rolls A B, and the beater D D, areall made and arranged in the usual manner.

My improved separator consists of a grill formed of series of bars K KK, each bar being formed as shown by outline of cross-section mostclearly in Fig. 2. The sides a b and a d of the bars KK K have planesurfaces, while the side I) d is concaved, as shown more plainly in Fig.2, and the ends of each of the bars K K K have round bearings k k, whichpass into the end pieces, H E, Fig. 1, so that each of these bars isadjustable about its axis. Several of the upper bars, K K K, have at- 0tached to their ends arms M M M, which are pivoted to the link N, whichis operated by link N and lever P,- the lever P having its fulcrum at P.By this device the bars K K K may be adjusted as desired, so that thespaces 4 5 between them may be wider or narrower; also, the angle ofdeflection due to their sides may be varied. This effect is accomplishedin this wise: The handle of the lever I being pressed down, its oppositeend raises the link N nearly vertically, and this in turn raises thelink N,

and this in turn the outer ends of the arms M M M, which in turn movethe bars K K K' upon their pivots so as to change materially the courseof air currents passing between said bars, as is shown in dotted linesin Fig. 2. An opposite movement-to wit, raising the handleof the leverP-produces the opposite movement of the bars K K K, the position of saidbars shown in Fig. 1 being the normal or usual position of said bars,requiring changes of position, however, to adapt them to the moreperfect treatment of wet or damp fiber, or of long or short staple, or,indeed, in accordance with the humidity of the atmosphere where themachine is in operation. It should be understood, in this connection,that all of the bars K K K above named are in the path of air-currentsapplied in a well-known manner. With this adjustment of the bars K K Kupon their axes it also becomes necessary to adjust the grill as a wholeboth toward and away from the beater, as well as vertically, or nearlyso, toward or away from the feed-rolls, the diiferent conditions of thestaple, as regards length, humidity, cleanliness, and the like,requiring difierent adjustment of the grill with respect to said beaterand rolls. To effect this adjustment of the grill the end pieces, H H,are connected to the main frame so as to move freely thereon, and saidgrill is operated by the levers R It, as will now be explained. Thelever It (shown in dotted lines in Fig. l) is secured upon the sleeve oroutside shaft, V, and the lever B (also shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1)similarly secured upon the incloscd 8 5 shaft U. The sleeve or outsideshaft passes through clamps W, which are rigidly secured there0n,-andare provided with arms w, which are free to slide longitudinally insleeve T, pivoted to the end pieces, H. The inner shaft, U, 0 has alsosecured to it arms S,workin g in proper slots in the outer shaft, V, andto the inner ends of the arms S are pivoted one end of links S, whoseother ends are'pivoted to the frame-pieces H. Therefore,as will be seen,a movement of thelever It moves the arms S S, which carry up the sleevesT and raise the separator-frames and their bars vertically, or nearlyso. By movement of the lever B the same frame and its bars are moved inand out too upon the arc of a circle, the shaft V representing thecenter of the same. By these means, as will be perceived, theseparator-grill as a whole is adjustable vertically, or nearly so, andalso laterally, while its separate elements, the bars K K K, have theirindependent adjustment. It should be understood that this ma chine maybe used with or without a suctionfan, drawing in currents of air betweenthe bars K K K. If used with a suction, the currents of air drawn in areto a certain extent met by the currents of air proceeding from theheater; and there should be such an adjustment of the separator-grill asa whole, or of its bars, or of both, as will preserve such anequilibrium of air-currents between the bars as will permit dirt andother extraneous matter to fall out by momentum and gravity and yetretain the fiber from escape and loss. If no suction is used it will beessential to remove the separator-grill a very considerable distancefrom the path of the beaters, and to so adjust the bars K K K as toleave but narrow openings between them, as shown by solid lines in Fig.2. The result will be that the currents of air produced by the beaterwill be so slight at the openings between the bars that the dirt andother foreign matter will be expelled between the bars by momentum andgravity, while the fiber will not pass through or be lost, as shown bythe curved arrows in F ig. 2.

The particular form, arrangement, and function of the bars K K K in thegrill maybe understood by the following explanation: The

. bars K K K are hung in such a manner that they are each at the samedistance from the center of the beater-wheel when in the position shownin full lines in Fig. 1. In other words, they are located in the arc ofa circle a little outside of the path of the beater. By turning the bars'K K K about their bearings k k k the openings between the lower point,a, of one and the upper part, I), of the next one may be larger orsmaller, to adapt the device to the work to be done and to the varyingwindcurrents which are flowing in the general line represented by thearrow 8*, Fig. 2. By makin g these bars K K K with their outer surfaceI) d concaved I obtain a better result than can be obtained by barshaving a plane surface, for the reason that particles of dirt falling inthe direction of the arrow X will, upon striking the concaved surface I)d, be deflected and sent away at a greater angle with the perpendicularthan though they struck upon a plane inclined surface, so that the dirtis sent farther away from the point of greatest wind-pressure, which isnear the line a d.

Having fully described my invention, what I desire to claim and secureby Letters Patent is- The combination, with a separator-grill providedwith independently-pivoted bars K K K of the form, in cross-section, ofright-angled triangles, with the longest side hollowed out, of mechanismfor adjusting the said grill both vertically, or nearly so, andlaterally, and also the several bars thereof upon their axes,substantially as described.

SAMUEL D. KEENE.

Witnesses:

M. J. CLAGETT, J. C. SoHRoEDER.

